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12/14/2011
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created by Ed Sinclair

Sailor in Focus

This week we caught up with one of the finest and most exciting wave sailors to watch on tour, Alex Mussolini.

Having spent most of his life living on the wind blown Canary Islands and the windsurfing mecca of Maui it is no wonder why Alex Mussolini (Tabou / Gaastra) is one of the most radical sailors on tour. Mussolini was seen throwing superb backside 360’s in Pozo, perfect cut backs in Tenerife and huge backloops in Denmark to secure his place in the top ten at the end of the year. We caught up with Mussolini to find out a little bit more…

PWA: Firstly, what are your thoughts on the 2011 season and how would you rate your result?

Mussolini: “I think that I had a good year, I started well in Pozo, a bit unlucky with my heat strategy, but I had a good result! In Tenerife same thing, I lost in the first heat for not being able to plan my heat differently, then I had a very good come back beating the best of the best, and on my heat against Dany, same problem as the single elimination. In Denmark I didn’t think about how to sail well in tough conditions, I was just sailing like I always do, but I guess it was not enough...and Sylt, sleeping all day ha ha.”

PWA: How long have you been windsurfing?

Mussolini: “I started when I was 7, now I just turned 27, so 20 years."

PWA: Who has been you biggest influence on your sailing?

Mussolini: “I was always watching Polakow and Levi, I moved to Maui when I was 14, everyday sailing with them, at the end you want to sail like them, or at least follow their style. If you learn how to windsurf in Pozo, you will probably look at Jonas so you will want to have Jonas´s style if you watch him everyday.”

PWA: What would you be doing if you weren’t windsurfing?

Mussolini: “I would probably be an airplane pilot and for sure missing all the good windsurfing days!”

PWA: Where is your favorite place to windsurf and why?

Mussolini: “My favorite places are spots with perfect waves and with not such perfect waves, for example I love to windsurf in down the line, Hookipa, New Caledonia, Reunion, Fuerteventura etc....but I also love to windsurf here in my home spot (El Medano) and in some way I also love to windsurf in Pozo, because if you sail well in not such perfect waves its also good!”

PWA: What is your favorite move and why?

Mussolini: “I have to say the wave 360, because I love how Polakow and Levi land them, I learned how to land them well and now I want to land bigger and better. Going back to who were my biggest influences, that’s why I love wave 360´s, if you learn how to windsurf in Pozo you would probably say: backloops.”

PWA: What move did you find the hardest to learn and why?

Mussolini: “The water start and the forward hahaha! Because when you learn how to water start you swallow a lot of water and to forward you have to go for it!”

PWA: What new moves are you currently learning?

Mussolini: “Push forwards and doubles, I have to make some good ones to start with the next one.”

PWA: How do you learn your moves? Videos? Watching others?

Mussolini: “Watching others and videos.”

PWA: How does competition make you feel? And how to do prepare for your heats?

Mussolini: “They make my feel sick hahaha, I never have a good night sleep before the events, and I try to prepare myself but visualizing all my moves while I sleep and before the heat.”

PWA: What do you do when you’re not windsurfing?

Mussolini: “I go to the gym; I play golf and spend good times with my kid.”

PWA: What are your goals for 2012?

Mussolini: “I have to say to finish top 3, but so many people say that they want to be top 3 and top 5 so I am just going to say top 10, so if I get a better result I will be stoked!”

PWA: Thanks for you time Alex; we look forward to seeing you out on the water in the New Year.